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Castle Rock seeks more funds to bolster park designs

Staff plan memorial at park named for Zackari Parrish

As construction continues on the park named to honor Deputy Zackari Parrish, the town of Castle Rock is looking to find $150,000 more in its budget to build a memorial at the park for Parrish.

Despite some cold, winter months, Castle Rock is steaming ahead with construction on its newest neighborhood park named in honor of Deputy Zackari Parrish and looking for additional funds to carry out newdesigns for a memorial commemorating the fallen deputy.

Director of Parks and Recreation Jeff Brauer gave council a brief update about Deputy Zack S. Parrish III Memorial Park's progress on March 5. Construction on the $2.6 million project is expected to wrap up this summer, possibly in June, he said. Plans include pickleball courts, play fields, a plaza and a playground.

The town is also looking for additional funds within its budget, about $150,000, to construct a memorial for Parrish near the playground. The park is already named for Parrish but Brauer said staff wanted to do more.

Before the town chose a name for its newest neighborhood park it solicited community input. Staff received about 700 submissions, 77 percent of which were in favor of naming the park for Parrish.

“It helped us recognized that a memorial park means a tribute,” Brauer said.

Conceptual plans for the memorial are a 10,000-square-foot site featuring landscaping and steel walls that symbolize law enforcement's strength, Brauer said. The walls are marked with words such as “Integrity” that represent values of the agencies where Parrish worked.

The deputy worked with the Castle Rock Police Department for more than two years before he joined the Douglas County Sheriff's Office. He was there for seven months before he was killed in a shooting on Dec. 31, 2017 while attempting to place a man on a mental health hold. Six other people were injured.

The 5 ½-acre park named in his honor is located at the intersection of Low Meadow Boulevard and Red Hawk Drive. Construction began on Oct. 17. It is roughly 40 percent constructed to date, Brauer said.

“I just want to first and foremost tell you that this is outstanding,” Councilmember Jess Loban said after council saw the plans. “I think we figure out how to pay for it.”

Track and field is a popular and successful sport at Lutheran High school. The Lions won both the girls and boys Class 3A state titles at the CHSAA State Track Championships which were held May 16-18 …